A team of arts and science students at the University of B.C. have designed a compostable toilet that can be built for less than $20.

The toilet is made out of mushroom roots and other inexpensive materials. It’s meant to help with addressing the problem of sanitation in refugee camps.

Laurence Crouzet is one of the architecture students on the nine-member team. She said the project was initially focused on the scientific challenge of dealing with waste water treatment and bio solids in composting.

Over about six months, the project evolved into using bricks made of mycelium — the fibrous parts of mushrooms — to make a compostable toilet.